Day 15 – Barcelona, Spain to Carcassone, France

When I was 16, I convinced my parents to let me go with my German-born Spanish teacher (you read that correctly – she also taught German), Mrs. Santiago, to Spain. I was one of two juniors on a trip with 10 seniors. We traveled from Barcelona to Toledo, down to Granada, over to the Costa del Sol, down to Morocco, and through Tangier and Tetouan. Traveling with a group of my peers and my teacher was exhilarating. My parents even signed a release form so that I was allowed to drink alcohol and taste sangria while in Spain.

The year was 1998, and La Sagrada Familia was only viewable from the outside. However, it left an impression on me and a desire to see the inside “forest.” I would be almost 30! by the time it was open for viewing, but I promised myself I would be back and get to see the inside of the cathedral “when I grew up.”

Yesterday, we ran to catch our train in Sevilla (ran!!) and settled in for our 6-hour ride to Barcelona. The train departed at 4:36, and I knew getting the kids to our Airbnb at 11pm would be a struggle, but I knew we could do it.

No one slept or napped; however, I did teach Kate to play gin rummy, I read most of a romance novel, I took the kids to the bar car three times, I took Katie to the bathroom five or six times, and… we were inspired by the rolling hills, abandoned castles, small towns, domineering mountainscape, and field after field of lavender. It took my breath away every time we passed another lavender field. It made me think of my friend Janet and how much she loves to pick lavender.

Alas, our train was delayed, as it goes. So our 11pm arrival turned into 12:30am. Everyone fell into bed and passed out, only to wake up with Jen calmly announcing we had 25 minutes to dress, eat, and head out. Kate cried; Addie didn’t move or respond; Evan was eager for yogurt with honey; I was delighted. Today was the day.

We walked 25 minutes to La Sagrada Família. The crowds were already building, but we zipped through the lines because of our early ticket time. Entrance line and security scans later, we were standing just outside and downloading audio guides. We assigned a strict 9:20am meeting time at the base of the tower we were climbing at 9:30am and allowed Addie and Kate to explore as Evan and Jen headed in a different direction. Priscilla was off and happy, and I just stood in the entryway – the breeze blowing at my back, my mouth hanging open, red light pouring from the stained glass into my eyes.

Giant tree-like columns stretched above my head, with branches splitting off a hundred feet above to support the roof. All iconography, imagery, and storytelling of Christ are represented on the outside. The nativity, stations of the cross, and stories woven over time and retold throughout our history were placed for the public to see, represented through neo-gothic imagery and modernist sculpture on the cathedral’s exterior.

Inside was a celebration of God’s natural world. Gaudi saw nature as perfection and wanted to celebrate that perfection through representations of a forest complete with snails, shells, trees, and bursts of color, both warm and cool.

I can’t fully describe the wonder and awe I felt walking around the cathedral and down the labyrinth of spiral staircases that intertwined from spire to spire all the way down. The glow from the giant stained-glass gothic and rose windows cast shimmers on the floor and across the columns. Occasionally I dared to dart into and stand in a pool of light until it drifted away as the clouds and wind shifted outside. The whole floor was awash and in motion with ethereal color.

We had to exit, but it was a slow walk to the doors with a full heart. We walked through the heat, low 80s, back towards our Airbnb. We had a quick brunch and repacked our bags for a 12:30pm checkout. Jen swung by a supermarket to buy cheese, ham, tomatoes, and bread. She made delicious sandwiches while I helped the twins repack and clean our space. 

We then walked to the metro and bought tickets I had researched, which met our needs perfectly. The T-familiar ticket allows the same ticket to be shared with a family eight times. It was only €10, which was €4.80 cheaper than buying six individual tickets. If anyone needs two rides on zone one Barcelona metro in the next 30 days, I got you!!

The Barcelona train station is quite large. We mushed through security and sat in the waiting area for about an hour.  I purchased some water and lemon beer for the train ride, and we stood in a crazy long queue waiting to board.

We had lovely seats on the second level of a high-speed train to Narbonne. More cards were played, audiobooks, paperback books, and Kindles were read, and a fair amount of “please don’t touch each other” was whispered through clenched teeth.

In Narbonne, we transferred to a smaller crowded train to Carcassonne.

We had a rather long (we were really tired by this point) walk that took us to our new Airbnb. We crossed a canal, wandered along a river, and stumbled down endless flat streets until we could catch glimpses of the old city wall and castle.

Our Airbnb is lovely and just at the base of the old city. After sitting in the Airbnb for an hour, we tripped down a little side street for our first French meal. Turns out I know no French. I faced-timed our friend Mark Scialdone and asked for lessons on a few basic phrases. He laughed at me good-naturedly and repeated basic phrases over and over while shaking his head.

Everyone, sans Addison, tried escargot. No one went in for seconds except me, but I was happy they all tried it. Dinner was finished with crème brûlée, chocolate cake, and the purchase of a second bottle of red wine for enjoying later tonight. Now to bed. More tomorrow.

– Kendra